Error as an Impediment to Marriage

An error concerned with the persons or the particulars of a marriage is a lack of knowledge in one or both of the parties to the contract, and therefore it is a hindrance to consent; for consent is a knowing acceptance of a situation; one cannot enter upon a free agreement without sufficient knowledge.

Yet an error which can render a marriage void must bean error in essentials. If a man marries the wrong twin,being assured deceivingly that it is the right one, there is no marriage. But if a man marries a woman who has falsely informed him about her age, or fortune, or nationality, the marriage stands.